Feeding mechanism for photographic strips



March 21, 1933. Q w. L. HELMS 17902381 FEEDING MECHANISM FORPHOTOGRAPHIC STRIPS Filed July 25 1932 Patented Mar. 21, 1933 onirsostares earner series WATERS LEE HELMS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR,TO THE NEYV PHOTO- MATON, ING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PEOTOGRAPHIC STRIPS Application filed July25, 1932. Serial No. 624,638.

This invention relates to improvements in eral wheel-like enlargementshmand the inner devices for feeding strips of emulsified paper rollpreferably having the soft rubber ring and the like through developingor other 6% at each end thereof (Fig. 4E). tanks containing liquids, insuch manner that The outer roils of each set are carried by e themargins of the strips are engaged by feed shafts 2 and the inner roll byshaft 8, a train 55 rollers, and the object of the invention is to ofthree gears 9 exterior of plate 100 belng in provide a device of thischaracter which shall mesh to drive the rol s in unison.

be positive in its action, the strip being fed Intermediate the twotrains of gears, one

without binding thereof, particular attention for each set of feed rolls5, 6, is a large driv- I 10 being paid to the relation between thedevices ing gear 10 on a shaft 1000. 69

which directly engage and propel the strip At the top of the device arethree feed rolls and the guide elements. comprising the outer rolis 11and the inner The invention will be described with refroll 12, the outerrolls having, at their ends, erence to the accompanying drawing in theannular wheel-like projections 11m and which the inner roll having atits end soft rubber 65 Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an embodirings1290. The outer rolls are carried by ment of the invention. shafts 13and the inner roll by shaft 14, these Fig. 2 is a plan view of the saidembodishafts carrying a train of gears indicated at ment. 15 in meshwith a pinion 16 on a shaft 16%, 20 Fig. 3 is a vertical section on theline 3-3, the pinion being driven by a large gear 17 on Fig. 1. a shaft17 m in mesh with one of the train of Fig. 4 is a horizontal section onthe line gears 9. 4-4:, Fig. l. Opposite cut away area 4- intermediatetwo Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the blocks and spacedtherefrom, is a reversing 25 reversing block. block 18 constructed as ahollow member hav- Referring to the drawing, it will be seen ing opposedspaced and connected walls, the that the invention comprisesadeviceadapted top surface of each of the opposed walls to be inserted within aliquid holding tank being curved at 18x, 5, to afford a guidand whichwill receiveastrip of photographic ing and reversing surface for thestrip. In 00 paper, or the like, at the top thereof, which other words,assuming the strip to be moved so will feed it downwardly and thenceupwardly downwardly along channel 2 by means of the either to a place ofejection or to suitable feed roll, the lower end ofthe strip will meansfor guiding the strip into another finally meet curved surfaces 1800 oftie guidtank via a second feed device. ing block, which surfaces willguide the strip The device comprises opposed plates which in acurvilinear path until its direction is reare normally disposed invertical position versed and it enters between a pair of the within atank, these plates being shown at rolls 5 and 6 and is moved therebyupwardly 1 and 1m in the drawing. into channel 200.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that In the reversing movementof the strip,

40 each plate is formed with parallel guide the margins thereof arefree, the block being, channels 2, 2:0, which are broken by horizonasshown in Fig. 1, spaced from the inner tal sections 3 at which thematerial of the walls of the assembled plates 1, 1x. I have plate is cutaway at 3 and a to the depth of discovered that by such arrangement,there the channels 2 and 200. is less binding and likelihood of ammingof 45 Intermediate the two plates and seated the strip than in thecaseof reversing grooves within the cut away sections 3 are, in the cutU-shaped in the wall of the plate. It is present embodiment, two sets ofthree feed also to be noted that at 2 and 2m, relatively rolls, each setcomprising the outer rolls 5 wide channels are formed, as contrastedwit-h and the inner roll 6, the outer rolls preferably grooves slightlywider than the thickness of being formed at their ends with theperiphthe paper to be guided,'by providing wide mediate channel sectionsto receive channels, the paper is free for substantial lateraldeflection in its movement downwardly and upwardly with relation to theside plates. Thus, while the paper may be guided with the accuracyrequired, there is such freedom of movement that jamming is avoided.

To further add to the flexibility of the device, I have so mountedcertain of the feed rolls that they themselves may have bodily movement.To this end, the shafts 7 are held in channels formed in the sideplates, as shown in Fig. 3, being maintained in position by springs 19held by screws 20. Likewise, one of the shafts 13 is held in position bysprings 21 held by screws 22.

Reversing block 18 is mounted upon a supporting base 23 and studs maypass through the plates and through base 23 to aid in holding theassembly together, the studs being indicated in Fig. 3, at 24:. Similarholding studs 25 carrying spacer sleeves 26 may be employed for holdingtogether the assembly at various points.

In the operation of the device, it wll be assumed that it lies verticalwithin a tank and that means are provided for delivering thephotographic strip to the grooves 2 or the grooves 200 depending uponthe direction of rotation of the feed rolls. Assuming the strip to befed into groove 2, the rolls will carry it downwardly until thestriprmeets the reversing block 18, whereupon the end of the strip willbe moved upwardly and pass between the lowermost roll 6 and its adjacentroll 5 and the action of the device will be reversed until the end ofthe strip is carried above the feed device out of channels 250 and meanswill be provided at that point for receiving strip and guiding it toanother tank or to an ejection point.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is as follows 1. In feeding mechanism for photographicstrips, means for conveying a strip in reverse directions with n a tank,comprising opposed plates, a plurality of setsof feed rollers supportedintermediate said plates, driving means for the rollers, parallelchannels in each plate for guiding a margin of the strip, and areversing block intermediate the plates and having a curved guiding facefor receiving the strip fed to the base of one channel and for conveyingit to the base of the second channel, said block contacting with thestrip intermediate its marginal edges.

2. In feeding mechanism for photographic strips, means for conveying astrip in reverse directions within a tank, comprising opposed plates, aplurality of sets of feed rollers supported intermediate said plates,driving means for the rollers, parallel channels in each plate forguiding a margin of the strip, cut away sections the ends formed in theplate inter of the feed rollers so that acting faces of the feed rollersextend within the plates to approximately the depth of the channels, anda reversing block intermediate the plates and having a curved guidingface for receiving the strip fed to the base of one channel andconveying it to the base of the second channel, said block contactingwith the strip intermediate its marginal edges.

3. In feeding mechanism for photographic strips, means for conveying astrip in reverse directions within a tank, comprising opposed plates, aplurality of sets of feed rollers sup ported intermediate said plates,driving means for the rollers, parallel channels in each plate forguiding a margin of the strip, the channels being broken by cut awaysections of the plates substantially to the depth of the channels, a setof feed rollers being disposed within said cut away sections contiguousto the channels, and a reversing block intermediate the plates andhaving spaced curved guiding sections for receiving the strip fed to thebase of one channel and conveying it to the base of the second channel,said block being of less width than the strip and contacting therewithin such man ner as to leave margins thereof free.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification WATERSLEE HELM S.

